Cabbies, City Officials Search for Solutions to Spate of Violence

Concerned about the recent rash of violence against cabdrivers, taxi owners and drivers met with city officials Wednesday to come up with some solutions.

The meeting, attended by about 40 people, did not result in any official change in policy, but officials with the city, the Police Department and the Metropolitan Transit Development Board listened to concerns expressed by cabdrivers and owners.

Leonard Brumlow, a Yellow Cab driver, was shot and killed July 14. John Graham, a police crime prevention officer, said two other cabbies have been wounded in recent robberies.

However, Graham noted that there have been only 18 robberies of cabdrivers this year, contrasted with 37 by this time last year. But last year there were no cabbie deaths, he said.

Several drivers complained that police don’t always respond to calls of fare disputes or of a passenger leaving without paying the tab. When that happens, they said, potential robbers perceive a lack of police presence.

“I will review the policy on the fare jumps,” Police Chief Bob Burgreen said.

He also said he wants to change the licensing procedure so that all new drivers will have to attend a safety training session taught by police and veteran cabdrivers. He said he wants those sessions repeated every two years for each driver.

Yellow Cab driver Hank Goodman agreed that police should include knowledgeable drivers among the lecturers.

“We have a wealth of real street knowledge. We’ve been through years of it, and we know what it’s about,” he said.

“We’ll take you up on that,” Burgreen promised.

Many cabbies also said they do not want police to feel they should make more inspections, just that they should pay more attention to cabbies.

Red Cab driver Charles Morris said before the meeting that the safety problem needs special attention in Southeast San Diego.

“When we go in there, we’re fighting our own battle,” he said. “We need the police to keep an eye on us more.”

Art Fritz, a Coast Cab driver who agreed that one solution would be to require the class for prospective drivers, lamented the fact that San Diego taxis do not have the partitions separating the front and rear seats that many East Coast cabs do.

At the end of the meeting, city officials told reporters to leave while they discussed technological options available that could help police locate cab crimes in progress.